New World of Gain: Europeans, Guaraní, and the Global Origins of Modern Economy by Brian P. Owensby (review)

Abstract

Takeda convincingly shows that the causes of the French Revolution included discussions stretching from Persia and beyond, and therefore more global than previously imagined. Chapter five spotlights the oft-forgotten personality, dubbed the “other” Rousseau, Jean-François Rousseau, the cousin of Jean Baptiste. Raised inPersia, Jean-Françoiswas anadvocate of theFrenchRevolution and one of the primary actors involved in French-Persian relations under Napoleon. Takeda makes clear the global expanse of the Enlightenment and ideas of modernity. Jean-François lived in Persia but was an active participant in the Enlightenment and Revolutionary causes until the demise of theNapoleonicEmpire. FrenchRepublicanismdid not just rise out of the halls of Paris but has origins 2,000 miles away in Persia. Takeda’s work clearly demonstrates the importance of the tumultuous political events in Persia during the eighteenth-century as models for French-empire building. The book shows that the French Revolution included discussions generated from Persia and beyond, and suggests a globally integrated world of ideas and politics. Takeda’s work is a convincing demonstration of how global history can reveal the entanglement of Empires and revolutions from Asia to Europe and serves to decenter Europe as the heart of the Enlightenment and democratic revolutions. This fascinating study is a must-read for all scholars and students interested in a global picture of the making of empire, revolution, and ideas of modernity.